Word Stress in Two-Syllable Words

Nouns stress first; verbs stress second.

Examples

• REcord (n.) / reCORD (v.)

Key rules

• Many two-syllable nouns stress the first syllable, while many verbs stress the second
• This difference often separates noun and verb forms of the same word
• Learn the pattern for each word type

Common mistakes

• record (noun, stress first) → Say RECord
• record (verb, stress second) → Say reCORD

Use cases

• Speaking clearly
• Pronouncing noun and verb pairs
• Presentations